1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to spooling devices, and more particularly to fishing line respoolers and respooler holders.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common knowledge that fishing line is generally packaged and sold on plastic spools. The usual procedure for replacing the fishing line in a reel on a fishing rod is to connect the end of the line on a supply spool to the rod and reel in the normal manner and then to wind the line off the supply spool and onto to the reel with the reel winding mechanism.
The process, while appearing to be quite simple, is really not so easy to practice in the absence of devices facilitating the process, especially for one person acting alone. The supply spool must be held in place and allowed to spin in order to dispense the line in an orderly manner without tangling. At the same time, however, it requires both of a person's hands merely to hold the fishing rod and to operate the winding mechanism of its reel. Consequently, if a second person is not available to assist, some other means must be employed to hold the supply spool in a spinnable manner.
Finding some other device to hold the supply spool in a spoolable manner can become a significant problem especially when the need to replace the fishing line arises in the middle of a fishing excursion. In the absence of a device specifically adapted to hold the supply spool in a spinnable manner, the seemingly simple task of winding new line onto a fishing reel can quickly become a frustrating, time-consuming experience, quite easily resulting in a tangled, wildly strewn mass of loose fishing line.
Given the manifest need for a device of this type for use especially during fishing excursions, it is further desirable that the device be readily at hand for use when needed. The most convenient sort of location for a respooling device intended for use during fishing excursions is on an exposed and readily accessible surface, such as the side of a fishing tackle box or an exposed location on a boat, dock, or the like. Additionally, it is desirable that a respooling device adapted to be mounted on a surface of this sort be constructed in a manner which allows it to be moved completely out of the way when not in use.
The prior art contains several examples of fishing line respooling devices. U.S. Pat. No. 2,727,702, issued to Latincich, describes a hand-cranked fishing line respooling mechanism which is readily attachable to a supporting structure by means of a C-clamp. The device is ill-suited for use on fishing excursions, however, since it is by no means guaranteed that a suitable supporting will be available while fishing from a boat, dock, or streamside.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,354, issued to Bagby, describes a fishing reel loading and unloading device which is adapted for removable attachment to the shaft of a fishing rod in a position either in front of or to the rear of the reel to be replenished or stripped with its aid. The device is equipped with a crank means for spooling a spent supply of line thereon from a reel; this crank means may be disengaged in the event that the device is instead to be used to replenish the supply of line on a fishing reel. The use of this device is problematic for two reasons, however. First, the apparatus whereby the respooler is removably attached to the rod is quite elaborate and cumbersome to attach. Second, the respooling device together with the associated mounting apparatus is rather bulky and heavy, and is therefore not convenient to store and carry on fishing excursions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,172, issued to Cope, describes a respooling device for fishing reels which consists of a holder for a spool of bulk line that is permanently mountable on any rigid support. The supply line arm may be adjusted to position the spool in various positions relative both to the support and to the fishing rod so as to enable twist-free and kink-free spooling of the line onto the reel, regardless of the type of reel being used. This invention suffers from a significant disadvantage, however, in that its use requires its spooling arm to protrude conspicuously and in a potentially interfering manner from its associated mounting surface. Unfortunately, the device lacks a storage position wherein the spooling arm is neatly tucked away when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,862, issued to Panasewich, describes a fishing tackle box having a number of separate housings adjacent the front of the box wherein spools of fishing leader lines may rotate freely about their own axes. The loose free ends of leader line from the spools extend out the front side of the box through a slot therein. Means are provided exteriorly of the box for cutting leader line as it is pulled from the openings after being used to respool a reel. This particular configuration is impractical, however, in that it requires substantial modification of the tackle box's interior and front face, and is therefore also quite costly to implement. Moreover, a significant amount of space within the tackle box is thus lost to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,244, issued to Fish et al., discloses a fishing line spool holder for tackle boxes which are specifically equipped with trays. The spool holder includes a spindle on which the fishing spool is rotatably mounted, a support for holding the spindle, and means for engaging the support with the tackle box tray. U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,982, issued to Black et al., discloses a fishing line dispenser also for use with tackle boxes equipped with trays which consists of an elongated spooling shaft that is pivotally mounted on the tray either in a permanent manner, or by means of removable clips. The usefulness of the two aforementioned devices is limited, however, to fishing tackle boxes having trays. Moreover, use of both devices is rendered cumbersome and inconvenient because of the fact that the tackle box lid must be open, and because substantial manipulation of the other contents of the tray is likely to be necessary in order for the respooling operation to proceed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,784, issued to Totten, discloses a collapsible fishing line respooling device consisting of a base plate, two pivot arms, two pins to hold the arms on the sides of the base plate, and a shaft that snaps into the pivot arms. The surface of the base plate facing the supply spool is defined by a relieved radius groove designed to accommodate the cylindrical body of a supply spool. During use, the frictional engagement of the supply spool with the shallow concave groove tends to inhibit the tendency of the supply spool to unfurl with excessive rapidity. Since this frictional engagement is achieved only in the presence of a gravitational force pushing the reel onto the surface of the groove, however, the aforementioned device cannot effectively be mounted on vertical surfaces. But it is precisely vertical surfaces which are much more likely to be conveniently free for use on tackle boxes, boats, docks, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,839, issued to Burch, describes a fishing line respooling device consisting of a generally U-shaped base member whose side walls receive a shaft which holds the core of the spool during respooling. The bottom wall of the base is removably attachable to a mounting surface by means of suction cups, and the invention includes a variety of means whereby the rate of rotation of the supply spool may be frictionally regulated during respooling. A considerable difficulty associated with this invention arises from the fact that suction cups are often unsuitable means to securely mount things to surfaces. The surface must be exceptionally smooth, but this is unlikely to be the case on docks or on surfaces within boats. In the event that one instead mounts the device permanently by means of screws or the like, one is faced with the same difficulty attending the use of many of the aforementioned devices, namely, that the device juts out conspicuously and is thus liable to cause interference when not in use.
Finally, World Patent No. WO 93/09667, issued May 27, 1993 to Karr, et al., describes a fishing line respooler consisting of a generally C-shaped frame with a clamp arrangement at one end thereof and a spool arm at the opposite end thereof. The clamp arrangement permits the device to be removably attached to a fishing rod in proximity to the reel to be respooled. This clamp apparatus presents a considerable difficulty in use, however, since it includes a profusion of bolts, thumbscrews, and loose holding brackets which require an involved and time-consuming procedure to engage and disengage from a fishing pole. Moreover, the various components are easily dropped and lost during the process of applying and removing the device.
Examples of other prior art usages for spooling devices that are not specifically intended for employment as fishing line respoolers include: U.S. Pat. No. 902,787, issued to Wiebke, which describes a hand-cranked machine for winding ribbons or other materials upon cards, thin boards, or frames; U.S. Pat. No. 1,795,043, issued to Ross, which describes a dual-spindle sewing machine spool holder intended to permit quick change from one colored thread to another; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,361, issued to Jones, Jr., which describes a water ski towline playout and retrieval apparatus intended both to store water ski tow-rope when not in use, as well as allow the water ski tow-rope to be neatly dispensed and respooled during use.
None of the above respooling devices are specifically adapted for montage to an exposed and therefore readily accessible surface while also remaining inconspicuous and non-interfering during periods of non-use. Therefore, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.